A Forest Divided/Chapter 2
Chapter description :Thunder watches his his father disappear into the gorse entrance to camp and wonders guiltily about whether he was too harsh on him. Glancing over at Gray Wing, he asks if he should go with him to make sure he gets back to the forest safely, but the gray tom is lost in his daydream. Tall Shadow then leans forward and tells Thunder to go after his father, to which he obliges. He hurries out after the tom and into the snowstorm, struggling to find his light gray pelt among the white flakes. :The orange tom catches up to his father as he passes through a swath of heather. The tom halts in his tracks and turns back to Thunder, wary of what he could possibly want. Thunder stops, his lungs burning from the cold, telling his father he wanted to make sure he got back home safe. Clear Sky continues on, wondering aloud if that was all he wanted. Swallowing back guilt, Thunder follows after him, telling him that he knows the moor better than he did, and he could easily get lost in this storm. He then apologizes to the gray tom, but he doesn't answer. Thunder's belly tightens, wondering to himself why he should feel bad about what he had said to his father earlier. :After walking on for a few more tail-lengths, Clear Sky turns back to his son, his eyes glittering with hurt, saying that he didn't want to boss more cats around; just that he wanted them to be together. He mentions that Fluttering Bird wanted it too, and Thunder wonders if his father is still grieving for the sister he lost. The orange tom asks him if he's wrong, to which Clear Sky says that he isn't. Coming up to a split in the trail, he asks Thunder which to take. The orange tom brushes by and ducks into the nearest tunnel, leading Clear Sky along until it opened onto the hillside. Clear Sky asks where the forest was, but Thunder could hardly see through the blizzard. He notes that if they follow the slope it would lead them down to the edge of the forest. Clear Sky goes first, pushing past Thunder, mentioning that he knows the forest scents better than him and would know when they were close. Thunder's fur bristles at this comment, but holds his tongue and follows his father, making sure to keep close enough so that his tail brushed his nose. Thunder wonders aloud if they should find shelter until the storm passes, but Clear Sky says they're nearly there, brushing off Thunder's comment. Clear Sky hurries forward and Thunder strains to stay close. He calls after his father, worried that they would get separated. :A loud roar explodes from somewhere up ahead and a dark shape lunges at Clear Sky, causing the tom to shriek. Thunder rushes forward, scenting the sharp tang of blood and of badger, his heart pounding. His father is locked in a scuffle with a badger, and the large creature had Clear Sky pinned to the ground. Thunder races forward once more, demanding the badger let him go. The orange tom throws himself at the badger, but the creature throws him off and goes for Clear Sky once more. As Thunder is thrown against his father's flailing hind legs, the orange tom makes an inward remark about how huge the badger is. He leaps again, claws outstretched, landing on the badger's spine. He churns it with his hind legs, but its only response was a snarl and another snap at the tom's father. Worried the badger was killing him, Thunder begins slipping from the creature's pelt and manages to snag an open wound on its pelt. Hope flashes through the orange tom as he realizes the badger is wounded. Seizing the oppurtunity, Thunder attacks the badger's wound. The badger roars and rears onto its hind legs. Thunder wills his father to run, but he was lying motionless on the ground. :The badger's head swung around to Thunder and the orange tom froze, gagging as he tasted the creature's infection. The badger leaped at Thunder, but the orange tom quickly rolled out of the way. Making sure the badger's gaze was locked onto him, he hurried away across the slope. The creature hurries after the orange tom and triumph courses through Thunder, thinking he was going to win this fight. As the badger follows after him, Thunder then makes a wide circle back around to his father, hoping he was still alive. But the snow had now hidden his father from his view. Thunder whispered his father's name and a low moan sounds from ahead. The orange tom hurries to his father's side, glad that he was alive. Characters Major *Clear Sky }} Minor *Tall Shadow *Cloud Spots *Pebble Heart *Jagged Peak *Holly *Eagle Feather *Storm Pelt *Dew Nose *Mud Paws *Dappled Pelt *Mouse Ear *Shattered Ice *Lightning Tail }} Mentioned *Rainswept Flower *River Ripple }} Notes and references Category:Dawn of the Clans arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:A Forest Divided